Author: Deeya Nambiar

I believe in taking every day as a learning phase, and exploring my writing skills. I have enjoyed the challenges as a journalist, content writer and college lecturer, and at the moment am living life analysing the extraordinary in the ordinary!

Elephant Finds Work

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The recession hit world has seen more and more people jobless for reasons known and unknown to them; but of course best known to their bosses. It is even interesting to know that some point out factors like negative vibes and lack of energy as the reasons to save their own insecure positions. At such a time, the news of elephants finding a new job comes as a pleasant surprise.

elephant

This is the story of Sharoon, Ambika, Sumitra and Mohini that have joined the Pench and Satpura tiger reserves in Madhya Pradesh, their new office. The four elephants lost their job in Andaman and Nicobar after the Apex Court in 2001 banned the felling of trees in the Islands.

The poor elephants had nothing to do. Also maintaining the animals, given their diet, they were soon turning into a financial burden. The size of course matters. But thanks to our tourism industry, the elephants found a transfer to the mainland to take up their new role.

“We brought these four elephants few days back and of them, two each have been involved in Pench and Satpura in the job of patrolling the jungles and ferrying tourists,” said H S Pabla Principal Chief Conservator of Forest (Wildlife).

Here, I am reminded of the song, “Friends of Elephant”, composed by Paul Hippeau.

The elephant is a friend to man
More than the dog, it’s constant.
And now indeed our turn has come
To be the Friend of the Elephant.

I Lost My Job. Could This Be The Reason?

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A friend of mine called up this morning to inform that she has lost her job. She did not cry but her sarcasm-filled tone could repeat nothing but what her immediate boss had to justify. In her words the “gyan-patti”… Guess what?

REASON ONE:

“The company feels you do not fit the company profile?”

She wondered why did the company select me in the first place?

REASON TWO:

“At the same time I did not get any positive vibes from you?”

She laughed, vibes from work or not being too pally with the boss?

REASON THREE:

“You lack energy.”

She chuckled, “Energy! I did not know that I was part of a health drink ad?”

“But never once, he mentioned I was a bad performer.” She added.

Once she was finished with her statement, I sat to analyse. Somewhere I felt, the answer lies in the logic. “Your bosses actually find unreasonable reasons to make you leave your job willingly.”

Probably, these were the reasons cited to save his insecure seat?

Summing up from my friends conversation, there appeared three possibilities that you need to check before deciding to join a company.

One, It is better to choose a boss who is not of the same age group and experience.

Second, if your boss has an ego that cannot distinguish the right and wrong, he sees you as a possible threat. And in recession friends turn foes.

Third, your confidence and popularity with the team members gives rise to inferiority and insecurity.

Neither she nor anyone, will ever know what turns your bosses off during recession.

Smile Children, It’s Jai Ho

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Children forget to live their lives in the role play cut to shape for them by others who have vested interest. The most recent example is the kids of Slumdog Millionaire. From slum to millionaire is a beautiful portrayal of aspiration, but not so when it comes to the characters in flesh and blood.

The starry nights from Oscars to Golden Globe to National awards and Filmfare is a fairy tale story for all those children of streets and slums. Their life goes for a further makeover with every opportunity that follows them. Whether they understand fashion or politics is immaterial, the children are part of every possible event. Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail of Slumdog fame not only walked the ramp with models and actors at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi but also participated as the prop for election campaigns.

The shutter bugs, as usual, are busy chasing their beats. Even when Azharuddin is beaten up by his father, it made to pages of the daily and reason for discussions in television.

Yet thanks to their nose for news, and unbiased approach, they managed to trace some “star” children who got recognition world wide and were out of sight all this while. Did anyone of us ever wonder what could happen to such children once they grow up?

A flashback. With millions of dreams and million dollar question in heart the children, who were part of the Oscar-winning documentary Born Into Brothels in 1995, walked the stage of Kodak Theatre to receive the prestigious Oscars.

It was also a once in a lifetime chance to change their lives.

Zana Briski, the director of the film, along with well wishers had offered to help these children. Currently while two of them are pursing education abroad, others are educating themselves living in India. Ironically Preeti Mukherjee who decided to return, today lives to tell the real story as a sex worker. It is very unfortunate to see her join her mother in the profession.

Though Zana has been upset that she could not rescue the kid, “At this age, I have a flat, a laptop, costly phones and plenty of money. What do I lack?” Preeti has been quoted saying.

It is no surprise then to find the children of Slumdog still living in anticipation even if their schools have closed door on them for their non-attendance. They have got a second chance – Rubina and Azharuddin have been awarded scholarships for free education, a noble attempt by a self-help group.

“I want to make full use of this opportunity and study hard and when I grow up I want to become a successful actor like Salman Khan.” That is Azharuddin’s dream.

For Pinki, the main protagonist of Oscar winning documentary Smile Pinki, it has been a journey from being a social outcast in her village to her acceptance. Back in school with many friends, it is difficult to even picture her with no friends and the truth that she was once ostracised and teased. “Today, she’s the star.”

It is almost a month since the Oscars. However, the media has not let the fever die. The news chasers, in the process, has unknowingly hit upon information that really needed some follow ups. Perhaps their efforts can be a turning point.

Stars have reasons to shine, and a future that can strike gold. These children are reaping the timely benefits that are coming their way. Like most, even these children are innocent and naïve. Long term plans are still under wraps. Who decides their future, would remain unanswered. However, one can only hope that Rubina, Azharuddin and Pinki are not in the yet another making of victim of circumstance.

Love For A Lifetime

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Shobhaa De writes in Spouse, “While (the) wife had ‘adjusted’ to his long absences, he felt quite lonely and said excitedly that he was looking forward to spending the next few days catching up with her life.”

Now that’s the kind of life we are all a part of; we get to read about celebrity couples preparing for the V-Day but like them every other person appreciates the essence of the day even though it’s western culture that is getting Indianised. So even though you are very much a part of each other’s life, the much commercialised Valentine’s Day gives you the chance to express your feelings. No more do you get butterflies-in-the-stomach; it’s just the desire to spend the whole day together and revel in nostalgia.

Studies of dating and engaged couples find that feelings of passion and infatuation tend to fade quickly in the first year, and a year or two later often it’s all gone. By then love takes a new meaning.

You learn to accept situations, circumstances and make sacrifices along with a lot of give and take to keep the relationship going. Gradually, love, marriage, children and with growing responsibilities, forty becomes an age to participate in work and more work.

There are days when you don’t take time to be with your beloved or just touch and reassure your feelings. With time every relationship gets caught in the ‘taken for granted’ syndrome.

You know you love but hardly get time to put forward your thoughts and feelings. And then it is stealing time to relax and spend time together, just the two of you.

Of course nothing is easy and so is finding true love in your valentine. The beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder and as psychologist Robert Sternberg puts it, if you have the three ingredients of love – intimacy, commitment and passion – the relationship is going to last forever.

Excerpts from Article published in btw, Love’s Labour Found by Deeya Nayar-Nambiar